Baby Names
by aurimaedre
Summary: Sherlock and Molly's discussion over baby names turns out to be more difficult that originally thought when Sherlock keeps suggesting outlandish names.


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. **

Molly Holmes nee Hooper was excited. She was far into her fifth month of pregnancy and they were due to find out the gender of their baby next week. She was practically bouncing in anticipation for her husband to get home so they could start discussing baby names. She had heard from Mary that it took months for her and John to settle on a name that they both liked and Molly knew that with how stubborn Sherlock was they needed to start discussing this early.

If felt like she had been waiting hours (in reality it had only been a couple of hours) before she heard his footsteps coming up the stairs of 221B.

"Molly? I thought you would be gone, didn't you have something girl's activity planned with Mary this afternoon?" He asked as he took off his coat and scarf.

"Sherlock, that was yesterday! But it was lovely; we went out to lunch at this outdoor café and chatted. She gave me some great pregnancy tips and how to handle the first few weeks." Molly said, laughing at her husband's loss of time.

"Oh. Well, you know how I am on a case and this one was brilliant! When Lestarde first contacted me I nearly didn't take it, it was only a five after all. However, once I got on the scene I found out that the idiots got it all wrong. It was a nine, Molly, a nine! I haven't had one of those is a while. You see, they failed to miss the striations of cuts on the body, something that you would have caught instantly I am sure but sadly, I had to work with imbeciles since they put you in a classroom. I know, I know, chemicals and what not with the pregnancy. Anyways, it was the work of a serial killer and he had the most fascinating way of draining his victim's blood. It was brilliant Molly! Of course, once I figured out his method that was his downfall. Pretty anticlimactic, but it was more exciting that most of the cases I have had recently." Molly watched in amusement as he said all of this in one breath. She was glad that he was in a good mood, at least, because it made him more likely to want to discuss names with her.

"That's exciting and you need to quit being so hard on my replacement. Derek came highly recommended and is fully capable of doing the job. You probably intimidate and bully him so much that he gets frazzled." She knew she was right when he grimaced slightly. "Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about something that Mary mentioned."

"Go on."

"Well, next week is our next appointment and we will get to find out our baby's gender. She mentioned how it took her and John and while to decide on a name and I thought we could start brainstorming now." Molly reasoned.

"That seems highly illogical Molly. We don't know the gender yet, why would we discuss names? That would be like guessing a gene sequence before doing any tests."

Molly's excitement dropped significantly to the point of crestfallen. She knew he wouldn't be super excited about it but she at least thought he would see hers and want to do it. "I just thought it would be a fun way to get excited for the appointment is all… but if you think it's pointless…"

Her disappointment must have been apparent in her voice because Sherlock walked over to her and led her to the couch. He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips before dropping his head down and doing the same to her stomach. This had become a routine of his and it never ceased to make Molly smile. Others may call him cold-hearted or emotionally incapable but it they saw how he was with her, with their unborn child, they would eat their words.

He looked up at her with a smile, his hand caressing her stomach. "Did you already have some in mind?"

Molly smiled happily, glad that Sherlock was willing to at least try. "Not really, I just thought we could pass some names back and forth that we like and could imagine naming our child. I don't really want to limit it to only discussing girl's names first then boys or vice versa. I want the conversation to evolve organically."

"That sounds… reasonable." Sherlock conceded while looking like he smelled something sour. Molly wanted to laugh because she knew that he would prefer a more rigid system but she wanted to do it her way.

"I guess I can go first," Molly began, "I have always thought the name Emily was pretty."

Sherlock's nose scrunched in disagreement, "It's so… boring… dull… ordinary."

"Fine, you come up with something."

Sherlock stayed quiet for a moment, contemplating, "What about Jocasta?"

Molly stared at him incredulously, "We can't name our future daughter that! She will be laughed at! Made the brunt of jokes by her peers! Especially when she reaches her later years."

Sherlock looked at her genuinely confused, "Why would she be made fun of? Yes, it is an older and unique name but nothing to warrant your enthusiastic response."

Molly couldn't believe he really had no idea, "You do know what that name is associated with, right?"

Sherlock gave her a dismissive look, the same one he gives Anderson when he felt the man was being particularly dense. "I know it is from play by Sophocles but the plot and resulting theories are inconsequential. I only kept the names and the playwright in my mind palace for easy reference. That doesn't explain your response."

Molly shook her hand in disbelief, "Just… look it up later and know that we are not naming our child that."

"Fine."

"Do you have any others?" Molly asked questioningly.

She looked back over at her husband to see him steeple his hands under his chin and lay vertical on the couch, a sure sign he had entered his mind palace. Thankfully, over the course of their dating history and subsequent marriage he had become more responsive while in his mind palace, at least with her. He often went their during discussions they had after arguments so he could examine his behavior and find out what social faux pas he made.

"Ophelia?"

"No."

"Pauli?"

"No."

"Svante."

"We are not naming our child after a famous chemist, Sherlock." Molly was starting to get a little upset at his outlandish suggestions.

"Hester."

"Sherlock! You really need to keep a small dossier with each name you deem an important connection."

He sighed in frustration before continuing on. "Cresseda?"

"No."

"Pythagoras?"

"No! Please be serious, Sherlock." She was really starting to lose her temper at this point.

"Brutus?"

"NO!"

"Fine. This is the last one I can think of… Astralabe?"

At his last suggestion Molly could feel her anger explode and she stood up quickly, "Sherlock Holmes. I can not believe you would decide to take out your reluctance of doing this with me by suggesting such outlandish names! If you didn't want to do this you should have said so instead of making me sit here feeling like some dimwit while you feed me names you know are unacceptable!" She finished her rant with heaving breaths and a stern look that would give fear to the strongest man. "Now tell me why you would feel the need to put me through that! Our child is not a mockery!"

Her husband was looking at her with a shocked and hurt expression, something she rarely ever saw from him. Sadly, her hormones made her not process his look and her gaze remained stern. "Molly, I don't understand. What is wrong with the names I suggested? They are… different, yes, but I thought that was what every parent wanted? Their child to have a unique name?"

Only his genuinely bewildered tone and his blatant admittance of not knowing caused Molly to come out of her hormone induced anger. She took a few deeps breaths and dropped down on an empty space by Sherlock on the couch. "That is true, Sherlock. But there is a fine line between unique and absurd."

He moved one of his hands and rested it on her stomach again, a small smile lighting his face when their baby gave a small kick underneath his hand. "I didn't think that those names crossed that line, I just thought they were different. You can hardly blame me for that considering mine and my brother's names."

Molly laid her hand on top on his, "Your names are unique and special, yours especially… Mycroft's however…" She finished with a small giggle.

"Yes, he was landed with the unfortunate name of the pair."

"I don't think there is anything wrong with your names, I like them and they are just different enough, but I probably would not want to give our child anything more unique than yours or Mycroft's." She explained.

"I think that sounds reasonable. And now that I have your measure for that I think I can come up with some more appropriate names."

"Shall we try again?" Molly suggested, her voice gaining some of its earlier excitement.

"Yes, but I am keeping my hand here… for data collection."

Molly gave a small laugh, "For data collection?"

"Yes. It has been scientifically determined that babies can hear in the womb and therefore, should be able to determine what name sounds pleasing."

"Sherlock… You know that the baby can't actually do that right?"

Sherlock shushed her with a look.

"I think you just want an excuse to keep your hand on my stomach even though you don't need one."

He chose to ignore her and instead gave her another name suggestion, "Hera?"

"Still a little too unique for me."

"Diana?"

"I like it but it doesn't feel right."

"What about Eliana? But with the Latin spelling, Aeliana?"

"But what else would go with that?" Molly asked.

"What about Rose? It is a tradition in my family that the females have a flower somewhere in their name. It is quiet ridiculous but it would make mummy happy."

"So her name would be Aeliana Rose?"

"If you find it agreeable, yes."

Molly sat there, mulling over the name. "I like it!" She said as the baby gave another kick to mirror its mother's excitement.

Sherlock smirked, "Even the baby likes it."

Molly leaned over and pecked him on the cheek, "Hush you. So we have a girl's name we agree on, what about a boy's name? I have always liked the names Oliver and Grayson."

Sherlock nodded slowly, "I like both other them, but Grayson Holmes does have a pleasant sound to it. Wasn't your father's name Oliver?"

"Yes, it was." Her voice had a hint of sadness to it.

"If it is a boy, what if we name him Grayson Oliver? That way we can still name him after your father in some way."

Molly could feel tears pooling in her eyes, "That is… that would mean so much…" She leaned over and kissed him passionately, not able to convey her feelings in words.

When she began to pull away Sherlock resisted and instead pulled her down further so that she was laying on the couch with him. "Now that we have decided that it is time for a nap. I haven't slept in two days and I would like to do so. Preferably with my wife."

Molly relaxed in his embrace and let her arm rest across his body, but when she opened her mouth to suggest that they would be more comfortable in the bedroom Sherlock pressed a finger against her lips, "You know though that we are having a girl."

"And how do you know that?!"

"She only kicked when we decided on a girl's name." He mumbled half asleep.

Molly let out a small chuckle, glad that Sherlock was comfortable enough, loved her enough to show his not-so-serious side. She pressed her lips against his chest, "I love you, Sherlock."

"I love you too, Molly Holmes." He replied before the both fell into a comfortable slumber.


End file.
